The scene for the dramatic final act in the America's Cup was everything the competition's boosters could have hoped for, as people cut classes, skipped work and drove for hours to line the San Francisco waterfront by the thousands on a sparklingly telegenic Wednesday afternoon.

Young tech workers played hooky and filled sports bars. Shirtless college students wore American flags like capes. Adoring crowds chanted, thanks to the billionaire who paid for the U.S. boat.

"This is history class today," said Jay Conners, a tile setter in Richmond who brought along his son, Skyler, a sophomore at El Cerrito High School, to watch Oracle Team USA complete its back-from-the-dead victory against Emirates Team New Zealand.

"That was the greatest comeback in sporting history," said Thomas Carey, a Sunset District resident who carried flags and wore a Team USA baseball jersey. "If they can come back from seven down, anybody can come back from anything. And I don't even follow sailing."

After weeks in which the crowds were sometimes underwhelming and the racing lacking in suspense, Wednesday's outcome prompted scenes reminiscent of a World Series victory celebration.

Fans showered each other with Champagne at the America's Cup Park at Pier 27 after Team USA sailed to victory. At one point, the park became so crowded that organizers had to close the pier to walk-ups. Chants of "Thank you, Larry!" rang out for Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, who skipped his keynote speech Tuesday at the annual OracleWorld convention so he could watch his boat compete.

Chris Dunling, 29, took the day off with his friends from their sales jobs. By late in the afternoon, he was celebrating in a bar near the waterfront.

"Everybody was talking about it on Twitter this morning," Dunling said. "I was too distracted to work. I kept thinking, 'I can walk there in 15 minutes - why am I trying to do work?' "

Claire Palmer of Pleasanton had no interest in going to a bar - she had brought her two children, ages 8 and 10, and all three were waiting at the end of a line of 50 people waiting to get into a Cup souvenir shop.

"I'm not sure I'd be here if Oracle lost," she said. "But since they won and the kids had fun, we thought we'd get shirts, at least."

Bill Mains, a contractor who grew up sailing on San Francisco Bay, lives in Sacramento - but he said he had to witness the final race, win or lose. So he made the drive.

"Every day, I thought it'd be over," Mains said. "And every day they made our dream come true."

Doug Ferguson, a racing fan from Boulder Creek (Santa Cruz County), said he only wished both teams could have sailed away victors.

"I just wish we could keep the Cup and they could have one, too," Ferguson said. "The Kiwis are great people and have a great team. And great fans."

Kiwi fans dotted the waterfront here and there. They were understandably less enthusiastic about the final result.

"You can't compete with Larry Ellison's money," said Philip Somerville, a New Zealand national who lives in Los Angeles and traveled north to watch the races. "Neither can the rest of the world, for that matter."